Movie Review - The Purge

The Purge, written and directed by James DeMonaco, is the latest attempt to scare you out of your seat.  Does it succeed with sending chills down your spine, or are those shivers caused by spilling your icy drink product into your lap.  Let's find out shall we.

The Purge sees us in a near future United States, where the "new founding fathers" have, in an apparently successful attempt to reduce crime an poverty rates, introduced purge night, a 12 hour period from 7pm to 7am where all police and emergency services are stood down and all crime, even murder, is legal.  This has also led to a booming business in home security systems that completely barricade the houses of those who can afford it.  That's where James Sandin (Ethan Hawke) comes in.  The number one home security system salesman in an unspecified area is heading home to lock himself in with his family for Purge night, complete with doting mother, Mary (Lena Heady), rebellious teen daughter, Zoey (Adelaide Kane), and nerdy misfit son, Charlie (Max Burkholder).  Soon after lock down we discover that Zoey's secret boyfriend has snuck into the house to talk to James, which leads to the first bit of the night's frivolity.  Shortly after Charlie lets a homeless man who is begging for help into the house, and the gang of affluent youths hunting him turn up wanting their target back.

The Purge appears to be a movie that wants to blend a number of ideas, but comes short in the execution.  There is a pretty unsubtle "rich vs poor" thread which is blatantly laid out in the first few minutes of the movie, but goes nowhere.  There is the daughter's secret boyfriend plot which just gets forgotten about once the main section of the movie starts up.  It ends up focusing pretty much on the gang of "rich healthy kids" who will do anything to get their ball back... if the ball was a homeless guy who has been pretty badly beaten but then seems to have amazing regenerative powers as the night progresses.

The movie progresses from political statement, to family drama, to suspenseful thriller, to slasher flick and then into the "surprise twist" that turns out to be not that much of a surprise.

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed this movie in places and definitely got a few scares out of it, but it ends up trying to be too many things at the same time and doesn't really end up making a point or wrapping anything up.  Mind you there is an event in the closing moments of purge night that almost makes up for the rest of the movie!

If you want a scare you could certainly do worse than The Purge, but if you want the thriller it initially sets out to be then you will end up disappointed.  Ultimately it is a movie to watch with the lights, and your brain, turned off.

In two words - Face mask.

Warm Bodies - Movie Review

I finally caught up with Warm Bodies the other night and to be honest I approached it with minimal expectations.  I am happy to say I was pleasantly surprised.

Warm Bodies sees a zombie named R (Nicholas Hoult) in an airport full of zombies.  We are entertained by his internal monologue as he explains what it is like to be a zombie and his feelings and thoughts about those around him.  The other main protagonist, Julie (Teresa Palmer), who is the daughter to the militant Grigio (John Malkovich) who is the leader of walled off camp where the remaining human survivors live.

Julie sets off on a scavenging mission where a zombie attack kills most of the group and R kills Julie's boyfriend.  Here we learn that zombies eat brains because it gives them access to the memories and feelings of their victims.  Upon consuming this tasty treat R becomes obsessed with keeping Julie safe and their developing friendship has some pretty major consequences.

This is a movie of mixed qualities.  Much of the self referential inner dialogue with R at the start gives the movie a light hearted, whimsical feel which gives it a nice fresh feeling when compared to other zombie flicks.     Much of the early scenes are almost entirely focused on R and Julie, making it almost seem like a two character show, which both provides some of the film's more subtle moments and some of the least engaging.  However later in the piece when the "Bonies" (zombies that have wasted away so much that they appear skeletal) start making their presence felt we start heading into more traditional horror territory.  The swing between the light and fluffy and some particularly dark scenes can be a little jarring but overall the film flows quite well.  There are also a few scenes that really play with the concept, including one quite good gag if you think about another R & J couple popularised in more than a few movies.

Overall Warm Bodies is harmless, if a little unsteady, fun.  Some of the horror scenes would certainly put it in the mid to upper teen category though.  So if you are after a romantic comedy with a hell of a twist you should find quite a bit to enjoy with this one.

In a word - Raaaar

RETRO MOVIE REVIEW - PINK FLOYD THE WALL

I re-watched this movie the other day and it really holds up even after all this time. The themes of depression, violence and withdrawal still resonate and it its easy to find parallels nearly 31 years later.

Of course one of the main highlights is the music. Considering it is a movie built around the soundtrack the melding of video and audio is superb. From providing ambience for on screen action through to incredible animated set pieces to amaze, stun and even disturb you.

The film sees a rock star named Pink, played by a young and at that stage not all that well known Bob Geldof, locked in a hotel room. Burnt out from touring, drugs and alcohol he goes through events from his life that have created the wall in his mind. As he descends further into madness his hallucinations become more and more intense until the spectacular finale inside his mental wall. Let's be honest, this is not a happy movie.

If I had to make a list of movies that everyone needs to watch then Pink Floyd The Wall would be in the top 5.

In two words... Freakishly awesome.

PS.  Yes I know the trailer is for a Spanish release but it was the only one I could find!